Amidst the Indo-Pak war, Pakistan faces rising military tensions with India. Due to security concerns, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made up their minds to conduct the 2025 season’s remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also cancelled the fixtures of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Now, the foreign players participating in these tournaments are undergoing anxiety and unease.
Earlier, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Multan were assigned cities to host the PSL. But now the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided that the remaining matches will be shifted from their original venues. This decision came in response to rapidly increasing border disputes associated with the recent Indo-Pak conflict.
However, there are only 8 matches left in PSL Season 10, which includes four league-stage and four playoff matches. Now, all of these fixtures are set to be played in the UAE. But one major problem is the security threats associated with Pakistan’s rival country. Following this scaring incident, the English cricketers are worried about their safety and are requesting an early exit from the league.
Last 8 Matches of PSL Relocated to UAE
On 9th May 2025, the PCB announced that the last 8 matches of the PSL tournament will be relocated to the UAE.
As per the earlier schedule, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi were to host the remaining matches, but the board is worried about the deteriorating security levels.
Day by day, the threat is increasing due to the Indo-Pak conflict, and now the board has changed the dates and venues of the match.
The match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi held on 8th May 2025 (Thursday) at Rawalpindi was abruptly cancelled in response to security alerts.
Teams’ Performance in PSL 2025 Before Suspension:
The Quetta Gladiators already solidified their standing in the playoffs, having 13 points out of 9 fixtures. Whereas, the Karachi Kings positioned themselves in second place with 10 points in 8 matches.
The defending champions, Islamabad United, secured third place with 10 points out of 9 games. And then comes the Lahore Qalandars, standing in the fourth place with 9 points in 9 matches.
On the other hand, Peshawar Zalmi is battling to push itself for the playoff place, having 8 points from 8 matches. Unfortunately, the Multan Sultans are knocked out of the tournament as they were able to secure only 2 points out of 9 fixtures.
Last 8 Fixtures of the PSL 2025
The remaining fixtures of the Pakistan Super League’s 10th season are:
- Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi
- Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars
- Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings
- Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators
- Qualifier
- Eliminator 1
- Eliminator 2
- Final
Official Confirmation of PCB
Pakistan Cricket Board has issued its official statement, where they have mentioned their crucial decision. PCB has confirmed saying that: “YES! The Cricket Board of Pakistan hereby officially confirms that the remaining eight fixtures of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be shifted from their originally decided venues. Instead, these last 8 matches will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We will be sharing the complete schedule of matches, describing the new dates and venues, in our forthcoming announcement.”
PCB Chairman’s Words
Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), came up with a critical statement about their rival country’s action. He highlighted and stressed India’s operation, for which they will have to give attention to player safety.
He added, saying: “Certainly! Pakistan Cricket Board always follows not to blend politics and sports, but during such extreme, dangerous, and irresponsible acts of India, we have to be careful. They have been aiming to target the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to interrupt the Pakistan Super League (PSL). So, the PCB’s decision is following such security concerns that the matches will be shifted to the UAE. This initiative is to be implemented for the safety of domestic and foreign cricketers, to safeguard them from Indian attacks”, Naqvi said.
UAE Rejects Hosting PSL 2025 Remaining Fixtures
Pakistan’s prestigious tournament Pakistan Super League (PSL) was abruptly paused after the drone attack at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Concerning this scenario, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had requested the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to host the remaining fixtures.
According to the latest reports obtained on the evening of 9th May 2025, it is said that the officials of the UAE rejected PCB’s request to host the last eight fixtures of the PSL tournament.
A source from the UAE has stated about rejecting the PSL, saying: “Undoubtedly, the Emirates Cricket Board experienced a prosperous working relationship with BCCI in the past several years. Earlier, the UAE hosted India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, IPL editions (2014, 2020, and 2021), and recently concluded the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Hence, hosting the Pakistan Super League in a situation like this would lead to unwanted disputation between communities.” Moreover, the untold reason behind the rejection of PSL could be because the UAE and INDIA share a good bond. In addition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has its headquarters in Dubai, which is currently administered by Jay Shah, the current chairman of the ICC and the former BCCI secretary.